MARS

YOU DECIDE HOW TO SURVIVE!

By Hena Khan and David Borgenicht

with Robert Zubrin, Mars consultant
Illustrated by Yancey Labat

WELCOME TO YOUR

MARS ADVENTURE
A FIRE BREAKS
OUT THAT COULD
TAKE DOWN YOUR
SPACECRAFT . . .
YOURE TREKKING
ALONE THROUGH THE
MARTIAN FRONTIER
AT NIGHT, AND
YOURE LOST . . .

YOURE FAR FROM BASE, AND A MARTIAN

DUST STORM IS HEADED RIGHT FOR YOU . . .

WILL YOU SURVIVE?

ITS ALL IN YOUR HANDS . . .

7
YOU are a member of the Young Astronaut program,
handpicked to join a talented international crew on an
incredible journey to Mars. Your mission is to:
Arrive on Mars after a six-month ride on the Fire Star
spacecraft.
Help prepare Mars Base I for its first wave of permanent
settlersand make sure you dont cause any setbacks
during your year and a half on the Red Planet.
Get back to Earth after another six-month ride.

At certain points during your adventure, youll be asked

to make choices that will change your story. There are

twenty-four possible endings to your mission, but only ONE
PATH through the book will fully accomplish your goals.

Before starting your mission, make sure to read

the Expedition File at the back of the book, starting on

page 189. Its filled with important information youll need to
make wise choices.

You wont be alone on your missionyour fellow

astronauts will offer advice and encouragement along the

way. But ultimately YOU control your choices and your
destiny. So, trust in your good judgment, use the resources
you have, and youll make it to Marsand backlike a star!

YOUR CREW

JUNIOR ASTRONAUTS

NICOLAS MOREAU

ANEESA MALIK

AGE: 14

AGE: 15

HOME COUNTRY: FRANCE

HOME COUNTRY: INDIA

Although he goes by Nico for short,

this French astronaut isnt short
on anything, especially personality.
A mechanical whiz, Nico dazzles
everyone with his charm and his
ability to take machines apart
and put them back together. But
sometimes Nico can get a little
overconfident and carried away
with his ideas.

Aneesa has never met a circuit she

didnt like. The youngest person ever
to complete an electrical engineering
degree in India, she went on to join
the countrys space program, where
she is a rising star. Aneesa is good
at whatever she sets out to do, but
she hasnt had to deal with failure
much, so her morale could sink if
she faces a setback on the ship.

WEN XIANG
AGE: 40 HOME COUNTRY: CHINA

Wen is the commander of the mission.

He has a no-nonsense personality, does
everything by the book, and demands
perfection from his crew. Wen isnt sure how
many more missions he will be able to lead
before he retires, and hes determined that
this one will succeed.

COMMANDER

COOPER JACKSON
AGE: 33 HOME COUNTRY: U.S.A.

CREW DOCTOR

A born daredevil, Cooper joined the space

program to fulfill his sense of adventure.
Cooper loves surfing, rock climbing, and
skydiving, and hes known for taking big
risks to get maximum excitementeven if it
means getting hurt sometimes. But as the
flight surgeon, which is what crew doctors
are officially called, he never takes chances
with anyone elses health. Its possible,
though, that his love of action will make six
long months on board a spacecraft very
challenging for him.

10

SCIENTISTS

JULIE DAVIS
AGE: 29 HOME COUNTRY: U.S.A.

A passionate biologist, Julie grew up on a

farm in rural Iowa and is happiest around
animals. Her shyness disappears if you get
her talking about themthen she can go on
for hours. Julie is convinced there is life on
Mars, and that she will be the one to find it.

VICTORIA ORLOVA
AGE: 38 HOME COUNTRY: RUSSIA

Victoria is a professor of astrophysics at a

prestigious university, and really knows her
stuff. After years in the space program, she
is an expert on many things, and she knows
it. Victoria can be your greatest ally, but she
doesnt have patience for anything less than
your best work.

THE ADVENTURE BEGINS...

MARCH 16, 6:58 A.M.

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA

13
Fire Star, youre go for launch, says Mission Control.

Your hands sweat as you grip your armrests a

little tighter. Youre strapped into your seat, leaning

completely backward with your legs toward the ceiling.
In just one minute, five giant rockets will roar to life
underneath you and catapult you into space.
You feel your heart pounding inside your
launch suit. Youve been training for months for this
mission, sitting on simulators, practicing space
walks underwater, and studying every system of
the spacecraft youre in. Youve dreamed of this
moment your whole life. And now its about to
happen, sooner than you ever imagined:
You are heading to MARS!

Roger, launch center, says

Commander Wen.

14

T minus one minute and counting,

says Mission Control.

You turn to give thumbs-up

to Nico and Aneesa, the other
junior astronauts on the crew.
The three of you were chosen
from thousands of applicants
all over the world to be part
of this historic mission: to

prepare Mars Base I for the first

wave of permanent colonists. The
goal of the Mars Program is for people
of all ages to live on the Red Planet someday, and
your mission will prove that young astronauts cannot
only make the journey to Mars, but that they can handle
important jobs on the base too. There were a lot of skeptics,
those who thought that young people had no business in
space, let alone on Mars. And you know what? You are so
ready to prove them wrong!
Fire Star, close and lock your visors, and have a good
flight, says Mission Control as the rocket boosters fire up.
You close and lock your visor and take a deep breath.

T minus ten . . . nine . . . eight . . .

15

You imagine the crowds watching outside, waving flags

from the five countries involved in the mission, plus all of the
people watching on television screens around the world, and
you feel a rush of emotion and pride. You will be successful
on this missionwhatever it takes!

. . . seven . . . six . . . fIve . . .

This is it! You are about to leave planet Earth!

. . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one . . .

16

LIFT0FF!

YOU FEEL A POWERFUL SURGE AS

THE SPACECRAFT TEARS OFF THE
LAUNCHPAD.
THE FORCE PRESSES YOU BACK INTO YOUR SEAT.

17
THROUGH A MIRROR, YOU SEE
THE GROUND RUSHING AWAY.

THEN YOU WATCH THE SKY TURN

FROM BLUE TO BLACK.

THE RIDE GETS SMOOTHER AS YOU

EXIT EARTHS ATMOSPHERE.

YOURE IN SPACE!

18

Youre thrilled that you get to share this experience with

Nico and Aneesa. After six months of training together, the

three of you have become great friends.

Soon, you witness what every astronaut dreams

aboutthe view of Earth from space. Its amazingly beautiful,

more than you even imagined, with its bright blue oceans
and lush green forests. You cant believe that you wont be
back to your home planet for two and a half years. Itll take
six months to get to Mars, a year and a half to complete your
mission, and another six months to get home. But youre filled
with excitement about the adventures waiting for you!
Now its sixty days after launch. You wake up and unstrap
yourself from your sleeping bag, which is attached to the
wall of the spacecraft. Even after two months in flight to
Mars, it still makes you smile to see your fellow astronauts
slumbering with their arms floating in front of them, like
zombies. But thats what happens in microgravityif
something is not strapped down, it floats.

Youve gotten pretty accustomed to using Velcro strips

to keep things in place, including yourself. And now you can

glide through the cabin like a pro, without bumping into walls
or your crewmates.

Good morning! says Victoria, the astronaut whose

19
family picked todays wake-up song, a pop tune from Russia,
her home country. The music is broadcast from Mission
Control over the intercom, which is known as com for short.

Victoria is a smart professor of astrophysics who always

keeps you on your toes. She hums along to the music as

the two of you head over to the kitchen area, where you find
Cooper fixing himself breakfast. Cooper, an American who
grew up in California, is a daredevil who is most comfortable
on top of a wave, dangling from a cliff, or jumping out of a
plane. He loves the physical thrill of being an astronaut, and
hes famous for completing the longest space walk in history.

Eggs over easy, with home fries, please, you joke.

Nothing I do is easy!

Cooper replies. Try my

protein shakea few
sips of this and youll be
powered up for hours.
You might even get
through your workout
today!

He shakes his cup and a few

drops of chocolate banana smoothie

come floating toward you. You expertly
catch them in your mouthyum!

20

As the crew doctor, its part of Coopers job to make

sure that everyone completes their daily physical fitness

routine, which includes activities like running while strapped
to a treadmill, biking on a stationary machine, and using
stretchy bands to keep your muscles in shape. The workouts
are required, since your muscles dont do much while youre
floating around in microgravity and will become weak if you
dont exercise them. Cooper acts like a personal trainer
sometimes, pushing you to pedal faster or stretch for longer
than you would otherwise.

Isnt it too early to be talking about workouts? asks

Julie as she floats toward you, rubbing her eyes. Julie is

another American crew member, but shes the opposite of
Cooper. A biologist and animal lover, her idea of a thrill is
watching chicks hatch or milking a cow.

Never! responds Cooper with a playful jab. And if

youre lucky, Ill tell you all about the latest findings of my
muscle-density project.

Cooper does a lot of side projects in addition to his

assigned work on the ship. He likes to keep himself busy, as

youve noticed. For his muscle-density project, hes comparing
how different types of exercise affect how muscles respond
to being in space. Youve volunteered your own muscles as
dataan offer you sometimes regret, because it means that

21

Cooper really cares about your exercise regimen.

You decide to drink one of Coopers smoothies and see if

it really does help you get through your late-morning workout.

Hes developed a new routine for you and Julie, and he has
you both strap your feet to the floor of the compartment to
hold yourselves in place. Then, as you bend your legs and turn
at the waist, you pull a weighted band back and forth. It seems
easy enough at first, until your legs start to burn!

Faster! Cooper encourages. You still have three

minutes to go! And then were gonna hit the bike!

You spend the next hour biking, sweating, running on

the treadmill, and sweating some more. Finally, the workout is

over. Cooper gives you a thump on the back.

22

Good job, superstar! You hung in there, and you earned

your shower.

Youve never been more grateful that the Fire Star is

equipped with a real shower, although everyone is limited to

showering for two minutes every two days because of the
limited water supply. You cant imagine what life used to be
like on board the International Space Station years ago, when
astronauts had no showers at all and had to stay clean using
only dry shampoo and baby wipes.

After a quick but refreshing shower, you spend the

rest of the afternoon upgrading a computer system, which

is your assignment for the day. Cooper is in the command
module with you, and hes designing new workouts, checking
medical records, and working on his muscle-density project.
You wonder when hes going to get to his assignment for the
dayhes supposed to monitor the ships ventilation system,
which includes replacing filters that remove dirt, dust, and
bacteria from your breathing air, and any defective fans,
which keep the air circulating.

Five minutes to our evening briefing, says Commander

Wen over com.

During the evening briefings, everyone runs through

their tasks and gives updates on their progress. Every

person on the crew has to help with checking, cleaning, and

23
maintaining all of the systems on board. Its not the most
glamorous work, and it gets boring sometimes to repeat
the same things over and over, but its essential. Any small
malfunction could mean serious problems for the spacecraft
and the crew.

You hurry to the meeting. Commander Wen runs a tight

ship, and you never want to be late. Youre not as intimidated

by the highest-ranking astronaut, from China, as you were
when you first met him. Now that youve gotten to know him,
you think hes really kind and fair. But you still work hard to
impress him.

Whats the bacon shakin? asks Nico as you take your

place next to him. Nico is French, and you laugh at his mix-up
of the American expression you taught him.

You mean, whats shakin, bacon? you say, but then

he winks and you realize that

hes just kidding.

Thats Nicoalways

making everyone laugh,

even if it means
making fun of himself,
and definitely if it means
making fun of others! But
hes so good-natured about

24
it, no one ever minds. He is also a mechanical mastermind,
and can be found tinkering with a robot or a spare part
during any free time.

You and Aneesa exchange smiles. Aneesa is a bit more

serious, but supersmart, and one of the best problem solvers

youve ever met.

Lets get started, Commander Wen says, looking down

at the list of jobs on his clipboard. Hows the ventilation

system, Cooper? he asks.
Cooper looks up, startled to be
called on first.

25

Um, yeah . . . its fine, he mumbles. You steal a glance at

Cooper, who doesnt look at you. The two of you spent most of
the day together, and you never saw him monitoring anything.
You wonder when he could have done his job, and if he made
all the filter and fan replacements that were needed.

Hows the computer system update going?

Commander Wen asks you next, interrupting your thoughts.

Complete, you report back.

Commander Wen nods in approval and continues

making his way down the list of jobs. The meeting wraps up
with everyone rushing off to finish their work before dinner.

Hey, Cooper, do you need a hand with the ventilation

system? you offer as you head out.

Uh, thats okay, superstar. Its no big deal, Cooper

responds.

But you dont see him anywhere near the monitoring

station the rest of the day.

Later that night, you cant get this nagging thought out of
your head: When Cooper said the monitoring was no big
deal, did he mean that he didnt think it was important? Could
he have skipped it? You admit to yourself, it is tempting to
skip your routine jobs sometimes, especially when the work
gets tedious, but it still has to get done.

26

You look over at Cooper, who is busily recording

updates about the crews health. You know he works hard,

but it seems like he always focuses on the work that he
likesthe workouts, his side projects, medical stuff. If he is
skipping the ventilation monitoring, its serioushe could be
putting the whole crew at risk. On a spacecraft, you cant
just open up a window to get some fresh airyou need the
ventilation system to be in perfect working order so you all
can breathe.

Youre not sure what to do. You could just ask Cooper

again if he did the monitoring. But as a junior crew member,

you dont know how hell react. Hes been on several missions
before, so he has experience on his side. Plus, he outranks
you, so he might not appreciate being nagged.

Going straight to Commander Wen is out of the

question. Hes so busy, hed never want you to bother him

with something you hadnt tried to handle on your own first.
Part of you thinks it might be easier to just check Coopers
work log and see if he recorded anything. If he hasnt, you
can keep offering to help him until he gets it done. If he
really wont do anything, then you can go to Commander
Wen. The risk is that if Cooper finds out you peeked in his
log, he might get angry at you for snooping. But thats only
if he catches you. The log is easy to access right over there

27
at the command module, and Cooper seems like hell be
working elsewhere for a while. What do you choose?

IF YOU CONFRONT COOPER DIRECTLY ABOUT HIS WORK,

TURN TO PAGE 89.
IF YOU TAKE A PEEK AT HIS LOG WHEN HE ISNT
LOOKING, TURN TO PAGE 112.

C
R

PE
O